Foreigners flock to Gaya for offering 'pinda daan'

It’s not just the members of Hindu community, even foreigners and Muslims are offering 'pinda daan', an annual ritual for the salvation of ancestors’ soul, in the Falgu river in Gaya this year.

On Friday, two Japanese women — Yuko Masuda and Yuka Ptsuda — dressed in traditional Indian costumes arrived at Vishnupad temple and offered tarpan in the Falgu river. While Ptsuda was clad in saree, Masuda was wearing salwar kurta.

On Thursday, Tomoko Lee, a Japanese woman in her late 20s had performed the rituals at Muchlind Sarovar on Mahabodhi Mahavihara campus. Local priest Ashok Pandey helped her in performing the rituals. Information on the Internet about the 'pinda daan' inspired her to visit Gaya.

Lee, a researcher of Indian culture in the University of Tokyo, Japan, said: “After going through the information on Internet about 'pindq daan', I decided to visit Gaya. It was an amazing experience to see thousands of people performing the rituals daily on the banks of the Falgu river. It left me with a feeling of peace in the land of Hinduism. I have captured the visuals in my camera to show them to my friends and relatives in Japan.”

Earlier, Muslims had also offered pinddaan here. Ahmad Ali Badal, a resident of Nawada village under Mashrakh police station in Chhapra district, had offered the rituals recently. Similarly, Md Maqbool of Muzaffarpur had also offered 'pinda daan' with his friend Deepak.